Black Beans
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Black beans are known as the meat of poor men and they have nourished the world since the beginning of time. Dried black beans, also known as legumes, are packed with nutrients. The black beans are also advantageous because once dried, beans are almost imperishable; therefore they have a long shelf life.
Black beans nutrition are known as a very rich source of nutrition, there are many experiments have been done to reveal their benefits for health, for vegetarians, beans can be an alternative food because they contain large number of protein, as people know, vegetarians are not allowed to consume animal sourced food in order to get enough protein. There are many different types of bean, like green bean, black bean, legume and others. In this article, and people should explore about these beans nutrition’s benefit for health.
One of these various types of beans that have a lot of benefits for health is black bean, black bean contain a lot of nutrients needed by the body, such as vitamin K, vitamin C, manganese, vitamin A, dietary fiber, potassium, folate, iron, magnesium, thiamin, riboflavin, copper, calcium, phosphorus, protein, omega-3 fatty acids and niacin. Black beans are also a very rich source of fiber, these nutrients play important role to prevent cholesterol from becoming oxidized and heart disease. When people talk about black bean, it is a unique type of bean because of the color coat on the black bean and it make them different from other beans, the color coat of black bean contain at least 8 different flavonoids that have enormous antioxidant potential that can be used to prevent degenerative diseases. Black bean like other types of beans contain a lot of protein contents and fiber, each cup has about 15 grams of both protein and fiber.
However, consuming black beans can be considered for having enough nutrition intakes and makes the health better. The black beans are actually the legume; it has unique phytochemicals called Saponins, lignans and phytosterols that have potential benefit to prevent cancer and heart disease. Recent studies on black beans suggest that eating legume could lower the risk of developing a colon adenoma; a non-cancerous tumor that can progress into colon cancer and for people who previously developed colon adenomas will get 45 percent less likely to face a recurrence of the disease. As people might have known by now, to maintain health and fitness for their body, they need variety of foods to get complete nutrition. Natural nutrition like black beans nutrition can be a very good choice for the daily menu.
Among different types of beans, some well known beans are great northern beans, Black beans, lima beans, kidney beans, navy beans, pinto beans, mung beans, fava (or broad) beans, garbanzo beans (or chick peas), cannelloni beans and black eyed peas. Nutritionally speaking these all types of beans are powerhouses of energy, vitamins and minerals. They are enriched sources of iron, protein, phosphorus and potassium. Most of the beans are also fat-free, and unless canned, low in sodium. With some low fat bean recipes people can enjoy these nutritional powerhouses.
How to Select and Store
Both dried and canned black beans are available throughout the year. Dried beans are generally available in prepackaged containers as well as in bulk bins. Just as with any other food that you may purchase in the bulk section, make sure that the bins containing the black beans are covered and that the store has a good product turnover to ensure the beans’ maximal freshness. Whether purchasing black beans in bulk or in packaged containers, make sure that there is no evidence of moisture or insect damage and that they are whole and not cracked.
Canned black beans can be found in most markets. Unlike canned vegetables, which have lost much of their nutritional value, there is little difference in the nutritional value of canned black beans and those you cook yourself. Canning lowers vegetables’ nutritional value since they are best lightly cooked for a short period of time, while their canning process requires a long cooking time at high temperatures. On the other hand, beans require a long time to cook whether they are canned or you cook them yourself. Therefore, if enjoying canned beans is more convenient for you, by all means go ahead and enjoy them. We would suggest looking for those that do not contain extra salt or additives. (One concern about canned foods is the potential for cans to be lined with a resin-based material that includes bisphenol A (BPA). To learn more about reducing your exposure to this compound, please read our write-up on the subject.
Store dried black beans in an airtight container in a cool, dry and dark place where they will keep up to 12 months. If you purchase black beans at different times, store them separately since they may feature varying stages of dryness and therefore will require different cooking times. Cooked black beans will keep fresh in the refrigerator for about three days if placed in a covered container.
How to Enjoy
Tips for Preparing Black Beans
Before washing black beans, spread them out on a light colored plate or cooking surface to check for, and remove, small stones, debris or damaged beans. After this process, place the beans in a strainer, rinsing them thoroughly under cool running water.
To shorten their cooking time and make them easier to digest, black beans should be presoaked (presoaking has been found to reduce raffinose- and stachyose-type oligosaccharides, sugars associated with causing flatulence.) There are two basic methods for presoaking. For each you should start by placing the beans in a saucepan and adding two to three cups of water per cup of beans. The first method is to boil the beans for two minutes, take the pan off the heat, cover and allow to stand for two hours. The alternative method is to simply soak the beans in water for eight hours or overnight, placing the pan in the refrigerator so that the beans will not ferment. Before cooking the beans, regardless of method, drain the soaking liquid and rinse the beans with clean water. We realize that there has been some debate in the public press over discarding of the bean soaking water. Some websites and commentators have argued that this soaking water contains too many valuable nutrients to discard. We believe that a recent study has helped to put this controversy to rest by comparing a wide range of factors involved with the content of the soaking water. Research analysis has shown that getting rid of the soaking water also means getting rid of some of the phytates and tannins that can lower nutrient availability, as well as flatulence-related substances like raffinose (up to 33% removed along with the soaking water) and stachyose (up to 20% removed). Discarding the water will result in an unwanted loss of total phenols, but the extent of that loss will be relatively small (about 15%). While some of the total carbohydrate content in the black beans will be lost along with the discarded soaking water, the amount of digestion-enhancing resistant starch will remain unchanged.
The Healthiest Way of Cooking
To cook the beans, you can either cook them on the stovetop or use a pressure cooker. For the stovetop method, add three cups of fresh water or broth for each cup of dried beans. The liquid should be about one to two inches above the top of the beans. Bring the beans to a boil and then reduce to a simmer, partially covering the pot. If any foam develops, you can skim it off during the simmering process. Black beans generally take about one and one-half hours to become tender using this method. They can also be cooked in a pressure cooker where they take about one-half hour to prepare.
Regardless of cooking method, do not add any seasonings that are salty or acidic until after the beans have been cooked since adding them earlier will make the beans tough and greatly increase the cooking time.
If you are running short on time, you can always use canned beans in your recipes. If the black beans have been packaged with salt or other additives, simply rinse them after opening the can to remove these unnecessary additions. Canned beans need to only be heated briefly for hot recipes while they can be used as is for salads or prepared cold dishes like black bean salad.
A Few Quick Serving Ideas
- Include black beans with your other favorite toppings next time you make a stuffed baked potato.
- Black bean soup or chili is certain to warm you up on cold winter days or anytime of the year you want to enjoy its nurturing essence.
- For a “mucho bueno” twist on traditional burritos, use black beans in place of refried pinto beans.
- Blend cooked black beans with tomatoes, onions and your favorite spices to create a delicious bean soup.
- For a simple yet delicious lunch or dinner entrée, serve a Cuban inspired meal of black beans and rice.
- In a serving bowl, layer black beans, guacamole, chopped tomatoes, diced onions and cilantro to make a delicious layered dip.
Here are some of my healthy recipes that feature Black beans:
- Bean Salad With Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Black Bean and Corn Relish
- Black Bean Burgers
- Black Bean Cakes
- Brazilian Black Beans and Sausage
- Chicken Black Bean Salsa Burritos
- Homemade Black Bean Veggie Burgers
- Mexican Black-Bean Chili
- Mixed-Bean Chili with Tofu
- Super Bean Chili
Source :
- http://whfoods.org
- http://articledoctor.com
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